Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet

Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival 2018

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The Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet is a fresh, new collaboration between Israeli drummer/composer Sirkis and Polish vocalist extraordinaire Bialas.

With an emphasis on band interaction and sheer joy of playing, this band celebrates music from both collaborators, covering a wide range of influences such as contemporary classical music, Polish folk, South Indian & Middle Eastern musics as well as a wide range of dynamics – from the most delicate ballad all the way to high-energy electric virtuoso lines and everything in between. Expect soulful melodies and strong grooves from this electro-acoustic jazz ensemble.

The quartet`s latest album “Come To Me“ was released 2014 at the London Jazz Festival and the band has been touring in the UK and Europe since.

“Since arriving in London from Israel at the end of the ’90s, Asaf Sirkis has earned a reputation as one of the world’s premier drummers.” Ian Patterson, All About Jazz

Part of Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival. For more information and to view the whole line-up, please click here.

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Part of Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival

Bristol Jazz And Blues Festival

Now in its sixth year, Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival will take place across Colston Hall, the 02 Academy and The Folk House. This year’s programme includes over 20 ticketed concerts, a jam packed schedule of free concerts in the Colston Hall foyer, workshops in the Folk House and The Forge and nightly jam sessions.

Asaf Sirkis

Asaf Sirkis is a jazz dummer originally from Israel. Having spent his formative years in multicultural town Rehovot, where he lived in his teens and twenties, his early music making drew influence particularly from Yemenite culture, music, and rhythms as well as The Beatles, Police, Yes, Genesis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Allan Holdsworth, and Weather Report.

During the 1990s, he performed with jazz luminaries from around Isreal while beginning to hone his own writing voice, eventually moving to Tel Aviv and forming a trio to perform his own compositions. He also released his first solo record and was commissioned to create a new project ‘The Inner Noise’, featuring Adi Goldstein on Church Organ and Amir Perelman on Guitar.

In 1998 Asaf left Israel to Europe and eventually settled in London in April 1999. He started working with Adel Salameh, a Palestinian aud player/composer with whom he recorded the album ‘Nuzha’, and re-formed the Inner Noise band with Steve Lodder (Church Organ) and Mike Outram (Guitar). In 2000 Asaf met Gilad Atzmon, forming The Orient House Ensemble who have since recorded seven albums together. OHE’s album ‘Exile’ won the ‘Best CD of the Year’ category at the BBC Jazz Award 2003 and was nominated for the ‘Best Band’ category in 2004.

Since 2014, Asaf has been co-leading the SIrkis/Bialas IQ together with Polish composer/singer extraordinaire Sylwia Bialas (with Frank Harrison on keyboards & Kevin Glasgow on bass). Their debut album ‘Come To Me’ has been receiving some rave reviews and been selected as one of the best of 2015 by Mark Sullivan at the All About Jazz website.

In recent years Asaf has been studying Konnakol – the south Indian vocal percussion language – with master mridangamist Paramasamy Kirupakaran and has been integrating this system in his teaching, composing and rhythmic approach. Asaf has developed an easy, step-by-step method of practicing Konnakol that can help any western instrumentalist or vocalist of any musical genre and level to increase rhythmic awareness and focus. Nowadays, Sirkis is involved in a variety of educational work, bringing Konnakol as a useful tool of understanding rhythm to western music education. Notably he has given many workshops and seminars around the world on the subject and has a YouTube channel with some basic Konnakol tutorials.

Sylwia Bialas

Born in 1980 and raised in Poland, singer Sylwia Bialas embraces a flexible, constantly evolving timbre and her instrumental approach to improvisation produces a unique vocal style – an adaptable, interactive and unique musical instrument. Her distinctive phrasing and techniques fashion soulful sung lyrics as well as the most atmospheric vocalise, all touched by the styles of ECM and ethno-music, and strongly influenced by eastern culture:

“Music is my precious way of sharing – with the musicians I’m honoured and happy to work with, and also the audience…“